Bone screw and plate assemblies are commonly used in spinal surgery to assist in stabilizing bone members. Stabilizing bone plates can extend across one or more vertebral bodies and can include one or more holes for receiving bone screws. Once the bone screws are received in the plates, the bone screws are put into a locked configuration. To confirm that the bone screws are received and/or locked in the plates, it is helpful to provide a surgeon with some kind of visual, audible or tactile feedback.
Thus, there remains a need for improved confirmation mechanisms for confirming that a bone screw is properly locked in a plate.